The
idea of Mal & Lard first came to me around Autumn 2001.
At the time I had to cross a bridge over the river every morning
on the way to work.
I would glance at this same area of water twice a day and notice
the different things that occurred on just this small section.
There would be all sorts of wildlife in and around the river.
Not just ducks but geese and other water birds, as well
as squirrels running around the trees that overhang the river.
Almost every day something would be floating there.
Whether it be a piece of litter or something more interesting, every
day was different.
Seeing all this interesting activity on such a small area got me
thinking of the possible goings on elsewhere on the river.
And these ducks who would swim up and down day after day got to
see it all.
The river Welland cuts virtually straight through the centre of
Market Harborough.
I wondered what these birds actually made of all the action going
on around them.
Whether they noticed and whether they cared.
Whether they had an opinion and discussed it amongst themselves.
That's when the initial spark of an idea came to me.
With a little set of notes scribbled in my pocket book
I tried to advance the idea at my drawing board.
I imagined the river having a definite hierarchy.
The upper-class swans somewhere at the top and
the eels somewhere down in the lower classes.
The ducks I imagined would come somewhere in the middle.
To me they were the most interesting characters and
with this in mind I began to sketch my first cartoons.
Mal & Lard began life as Mal & Herb.
My first idea was to link the names to Harborough (Harb=Herb).
These names stayed for a while in my early sketches but never really
felt right.
A little later I decided to change the names to Mal & Lard.
The new names were stronger and the name Lard seemed to fit the
character more successfully.
The idea then advanced very slowly. With many other commitments
in my life,
I didn't give the idea a lot of my time. Much of the following twelv
months I concentrated on other areas of my business,
but the idea stayed as a sticky note on my drawing board.
I eventually developed the characters and shaped their personalities
to how they are today.
It was then that I approached the Harborough Mail with the idea.
The potential for the cartoon strips was recognised
and Mal & Lard were launched on May 1st 2003.
May their lives be long and full of interest.
Distinguishing
features: Two hairs at front of head,
two triangles (flat sides touching) on front of beak Characteristics: The leader of the two.
The intelligent one (but not by much).
Very opinionated. Not afraid to speak his mind.
Mal is happiest watching the world go by whilst
sharing his thoughts with his best friend. He dislikes
litter in the river and often argues with swans.
Lard
Distinguishing
features: Three hairs at back of head,
two triangles (points touching) on front of beak Characteristics: The stupid one. Doesn't seem to
know much or care about anything (except Mal).
Quite oblivious to most things. He is happiest
eating bread and letting the river take him
wherever it wants. Dislikes home-made bread and
very soggy meals (because it sticks to his beak).
